Report Shows Volume of Data Requests Made by Governments

A recent report made by the Surfshark research hub analyzed user data requests made by government agencies towards tech giants Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. The data gathered spanned 177 countries between 2013 and 2021. Not surprisingly, the US and the EU authorities requested the most data. The two combined add up to around 60% of all accounts of interest between 2013 and 2021.

The report also reveals that Apple had the highest compliance rate with user data requests (82%), followed by Meta (72%), Google (71%), and Microsoft (68%). Overall, government agencies requested data regarding 6.6 million accounts during the 9 years.

Emphasizing the increase in user data requests in recent years, the report noted that “while most requests relate to criminal investigations, information may also be requested in the context of civil or administrative cases.” The US turned out to be the most intrusive country, requesting access to almost 1 account per every 100 people over the 9 years. Germany, Singapore, the UK, and France were the next biggest offenders.

Big Tech has been lobbying to limit US intelligence agencies ability to collect and view their users' personal information and communications data for some time. According to a recent report by Bloomberg News, tech giants like Google, Meta, and Apple want Congress to “limit Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as they work to renew the law before it expires at the end of the year.” This is a US surveillance law that allows government authorities to request user data without a warrant.

Matt Schruers, President of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (which includes Google, Apple, Meta, and Amazon as members), said that reforms are essential to “ensure dragnet surveillance programs operate within constitutional limits and safeguard American users’ rights, through appropriate transparency, oversight, and accountability”.